Mmmm Geekery

Been tinkering with the look of the blog a bit - basically just changed the Blogger-provided template. They all look kind of weird, but then that's probably because I have a widescreen monitor and the proportions of the blog components don't adjust to the monitor size, so when I look at it, I have two huge blocks of background colour on either side of the content, which just makes it look out of proportion.

Also, Blogger? It helps if you don't randomly change the comment option to "Only Comments from Members of this Blog". Especially if you don't TELL me this. Just happened to be looking through the options and spotted that little detail. Oy.

I've also started trying to use bloglines but am kinda meh on it. I'd like it better if I could get it to display new posts like LiveJournal does on their friendlist feature: posts in order by the most recent, regardless of their source, whereas right now bloglines shows the five most recent posts on each blog. Most of them I had to click on the post anyway to see the whole thing which opens in a separate window anyway, so... Yeah, not sure how much use I'll get out of that.

Anyway, away from the techie stuff and back to the knitting.

First in knitting news, nearly done the Kasshabog Koigu socks. Went through about three or four possible ideas for the tops before I decided to just go with plain garter stitch. I don't really need the ribbing at the top to keep them up as they're all ribbing, and I just want to finish them.

Of course when they're done I'm not exactly free to start the socks that I want to, as I want to do those on a size smaller needles than the Koigu ones, which are currently take up with the world's most boring self-striping yarn. Really, I should have known this stuff was a dog in the skein: light blue, a slightly darker blue and grey interspersed with bands of black & white patterning, and all the colour bands are washed out and kind of mottled, like denim. Really, it's not the most interesting stuff, but now that I'm halfway done the foot on one and at the heel on the other I don't exactly want to tear it all out. See kids, this is why you should never buy yarn in desperation just to have some new yarn and something to knit. Because eventually you will get better yarn, by which time the dog yarn will be hogging the needles you want to use.

The socks I'd like to start once I'm finished the Koigu ones are using the yarn I got in New York, which I've found the perfect stitch pattern for. It was in one of the Regia sock books, a six-stitch repeat, making stockinette squares outlined by garter ridges. Or to me, in this yarn, like the neon lights of Times Square reflected in the grids of windows of skyscrapers. Therefore, they are now officially dubbed the "Times Squared Socks". *is a dork*

Now I just have to finish the Boring Socks of Doom so I can have my 2.25mm needles back. However, at least when I finish the Koigu socks, the BSoD can become my travel projects, and considering my work schedule just got interesting ("Define interesting." "Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?" Sorry, random geekery) I should be spending quite a bit of time commuting to and from work on the bus.

Speaking of work, my knitting program at the library started today! I've been looking forward to it; particularly as I'm doing it with teenagers as an afterschool thing, instead of kids on summer Saturday mornings. Considering teenagers have more autonomy, especially around that time of day, I'm thinking there's a greater chance that the kids will be there because they're actually interested and want to be, as opposed to some of the kids I had last time, some of whom had less choice in the matter. Today 7 of the 9 kids showed up (Seven of Nine! HEE! Sorry, more geekery) and they were a really good bunch. Most of them already knew each other as they're homeschooled. A few of them already know how to do some knitting, some are starting from scratch, so the ones that already knew the basics basically had a little stitch n' bitch (including the others, of course, once I got them started off) while I taught the newbies.

The newbies did really well, and by the end of the class they were knitting away. It was nice to have them catch on fairly quickly, which I had been hoping would be the case. One of the girls was struggling a bit on her first row, and mentioned that she thought she'd probably stick with beading as "this yarn thing" wasn't really her cup of tea. By her third row she was saying that she could see how it could be addictive. :) Should be interesting to see how the class goes from here on in.

Also, I could really do an entire entry about knitting podcasts, but just mentioning one I've found recently, though they've been podcasting for a while: Lime And Violet. OMG. I love this podcast. I kept hearing about them on Cast On (the other of my have-they-posted-the-podcast-yet weekly addictions) and just downloaded a couple eps last week. These girls are hilarious; incredibly wacky and yarn obsessed. They sound like the kind of people I would love to hang out with because we'd just be howling the entire time. Now every time I see some incredibly delicious yarn I think of Miss Violet saying that she wants to rub it on her good bits. *snigger* Go to the blog or to iTunes or Podcast Alley and download them.

So anyway, there's the updates. Hopefully next time I update I will be closer to starting the Times Squared socks and I will have the Boring Socks of Doom closer to done.

If at First You Don't Succeed...

Easter is a time of rebirth, and those Jaywalkers I was working on? They've been reborn as...well, two skeins of yarn. Ripped them out, washed the yarn to get out the kinkiness and the accumulated dirt/skin oils from knitting them twice and let them air dry. Now I just need to find a pattern I like to re-knit them. Unfortunately the patterns I like don't include a separate stitch pattern section; ie. at the beginning of the pattern a quick little descrption of what the stitch pattern is, including what multiple of stitches the pattern needs. This is essential, considering chances are I'll have to size them up a bit. I think this means I should take a swing through the stacks tomorrow at work and grab the Walker Treasuries to come up with something myself.

In lieu of the Jaywalkers, I'm working on a pair of Regia Canadian Colour stripe socks, in shades of blue, beige and grey. They're nice, mindless knitting to do while I'm on the bus. I also found a number of lace knitting books that were recently donated to the library and checked them out, looking for any last patterns I want to use for the sampler scarf, or for its border. The one on Orenburg Lace shawls has given me an idea of how I can do the corners without trying to re-draft the pattern to turn a corner, even if the results likely won't be as pretty.

In other knitting news, I'm crossing my fingers that I have no sudden call-ins to work this weekend, and therefore can go to Toronto for the Downtown Knit Collective Knitter's Frolic, and a bit of a yarn crawl. I'm actually more interested in going to this than the Creative Sewing and Needlework Festival, even if I wasn't working every day of the CSNF.

For one, the CSNF website design team yet again didn't include instructions on how to get to the venue by public transit. For another, getting there is a giant pain in the ass--subway out as far as you can go, bus to the city limits, pay an extra fare when you get off, ride the bus for 45 minutes... All to go to something where there aren't really any classes I want to attend and when, considering my options locally, just going to the yarn stores in Toronto is enough of a treat? Yeah, I don't think so. I'll wait until the fall show, by which time it'll have been about 2.5 years since I've been to one.

However, it will be nice to have a yarn crawl. I haven't done one of those since I was in university and there are number of yarn stores to try that I haven't been to yet. I'll have to make up an itinerary. ;-) It also helps that I just finished doing my taxes and the government's going to be giving me some money back (even if much of that is going toward a new iPod, as I *whimper* dropped my iPod mini).

Whee, Toronto yarn stores, here I come!

When Gauge Swatches Lie

Time for another post on the old knitting blog!

The Jaywalkers proceed apace, through I just realized that gee, considering I had to rip them out because they were too small, I may want to, you know, try them on at some point. Like right now, considering I've turned the heel on both.

Yeah, that might be a good idea.

...Just tried them on and they won't go over my heel. Dammit. Looks like another trip to the frog pond--this time I'll actually steam them a bit to get the kinkiness (ooh, kinky yarn! Yes, I'm twelve) out of them. Though considering I've been looking at this colourway and thinking that it really is the best colourway of the sock yarns I have for some lacy ripple/chevron-effect socks, I'll probably switch patterns and do the Jaywalkers in the darker colourways I have. Of course I could always finish them and give them to someone else, but...um...I don't wanna?

Did I forget to mention that I'm a sock yarn addict? I am. Very much so. Ever since I lived in Peterborough during university, I wear only hand-knit socks in the winter, and I have at least 15 pairs right now, plus enough yarn for about, oh, maybe 6 more pairs or so. Not to mention that as someone who commutes anywhere between 10 minutes to one hour to work each way, they're the perfect portable project, even if the yarn does tend to wind itself around everything in my bag. It's also the type of thing which is bound to get the occasional question--the other day when I was heading home from the mall, one older woman commented kindly as she passed to get off that it had been years since she had knit socks. Most people ask if I'm working on sleeves, though.

They're fairly quick, they're fun, and best of all, there's nothing nicer than warm, handknit socks when you're shivering at the bus stop in the dead of winter.

Knitting Makes Everything Better

Eheheheheh, yeah. We can all see how well I'm doing at the posting-with-regularity thing.

Anyway. Today got off to a bad start (I was awake when my alarm went off, I swear! Why my body decided to go back to sleep until one hour after I was supposed to be at work, I don't know) so I decided I needed yarn therapy so I should head to the yarn store after work and hey, when was the last time I updated that knitting blog of mine?

So yes, here I am, and I bring pictures of a current project. ...Er, sort of.

Behold, yon Jaywalker socks in Regia Canadian Colours, colourway #...oh hell, I forget:



Or at least, yon Jaywalkers before I got as far as you see in the picture before I decided they were too tight and I'd never be able to get them on if I kept going, so both socks (I have 2 sets of DPNs in my sock-knitting sizes so I can do both socks at the same time) had to get frogged. The good news is that after starting over using the number of stitches for the larger size Jaywalkers, I've already got one sock about that length again, and the other... Well, okay, I'm about half done the ribbing, but the pattern section goes so quickly that it'll be that length again in no time. Particularly as that one is my carry-along sock: the one that gets stuck in my purse and tote bag and travels all over the city with me.

I am a shameless knitter-in-public. I take public transit everywhere, which, particularly in this town (where routes run every 30 minutes), means I spend quite a bit of time waiting at bus stops. Personally, I value not being bored more than I do not looking weird, so knitting at the bus stop it is then. Unfortunately I don't get to do it as much as I'd like around this time of year, as if I did, I wouldn't have fingers left to knit with thanks to frostbite. I also knit while on the bus (pointy sticks and a bigass tote bag are, of course, the best way to keep the weirdos from taking the seat next to you), sitting and waiting for movies to start...basically anything where you need to fill up a small amount of time.

I've pretty much been doing this since I started knitting, back in university (which is a story for another day), as I quickly learned it was a great way to have some quiet time to relax before lectures started, or during the 10-minute break most profs let us have during 2- or 3-hour lectures. As going to and from my residence in downtown Peterborough to the Trent University main campus meant at least a 15-minute bus ride, it was also a nice way to spend time on the Trent Express (provided I actually managed to get a seat).

I know some knitters have said that when they KIP they get weird looks, odd comments, that kind of thing. I have to wonder where these people live, as when I do it, if anyone's staring they usually look fascinated--or at least interested--and any comments I get are the usual, friendly, "oh, what are you making?" type. 99% of the time, as far as I know, no one really gives me a second glance.

I fail to see why knitting in public would be seen as weird, though. People read on the bus, listen to their iPods on the bus, stare out the windows and daydream... Knitting, really, it's just something to take up time in public, like anything else. Maybe it's because the people who make odd comments about it have some mental block about knitting being something you do at home, sitting in a rocking chair in front of a fireplace. Not something you do while sipping a peppermint hot chocolate in one of the comfy chairs at Starbucks, which is of course, one of my favourite ways to spend an hour on my day off.

And now that I'm finished ranting, it's off to medicate myself with some Irish Breakfast tea, cashmere/merino/microfibre yarn and Kiefer Sutherland kicking ass on DVDs of 24.